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-   -   Why some people understand and believe and some do not believe religion? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=527955)

  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:18 PM
    Wondergirl
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma View Post
    Ok, I can let you define the word religious. Go for it.

    It was your word, not mine. I personally think the word is too vague to even merit a definition.
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:19 PM
    Wondergirl
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma View Post

    Yup, or some authority figure, if not parents.

    I'd also want the definition of "immoral."
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:20 PM
    NeedKarma
    Maybe the forum topic and the OP's question should be changed then.
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:22 PM
    Wondergirl
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma View Post
    Maybe the forum topic and the OP's question should be changed then.

    That was the first thing I thought of when I read the question. Or at least, we need his definition of "religion."
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:24 PM
    NeedKarma
    He posted two questions and never returned to any of those threads.

    Couldn't we use this as a baseline?: Religious - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:32 PM
    Wondergirl
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeedKarma View Post
    He posted two questions and never returned to any of those threads.

    Couldn't we use this as a baseline?: Religious - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

    No. That's "religious." We want the definition for "religion." Here's that:

    Definition of RELIGION
    1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
    2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
    3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
    4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

    Hmmmm, I'm not sure I want "devotion" or "ardor" in the definition. I think the definition of "religion" as used nowadays is much more watered-down than the dictionary indicates.
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:34 PM
    NeedKarma
    Denotation vs connotation?

    <the librarian will score me points for that one:)>
  • Dec 21, 2010, 12:39 PM
    TUT317
    As to where we can find morality? I think Kant provides a excellent answer to that question.

    "Thus things that inspire genuine awe: the starry sky above and the moral law within".

    I think Kant would say that when we fulfill the moral law within we are always in the service of humanity. As long as our actions are moral, then it is impossible to serve God otherwise.

    Regards

    Tut
  • Dec 21, 2010, 01:58 PM
    Wondergirl
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TUT317 View Post
    As to where we can find morality? I think Kant provides a excellent answer to that question.

    "Thus things that inspire genuine awe: the starry sky above and the moral law within".

    Awe doesn't inspire morality.
  • Dec 21, 2010, 02:23 PM
    TUT317
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Wondergirl View Post
    Awe doesn't inspire morality.


    Hi Wondergirl,

    Something must have been lost in the translation from German to English.

    Tut
  • Dec 21, 2010, 02:24 PM
    Alty

    TUT, write it out in German, either WG or I can translate it. :)
  • Dec 21, 2010, 02:34 PM
    TUT317
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Altenweg View Post
    TUT, write it out in German, either WG or I can translate it. :)


    Hi Altenweg,

    Nice to hear from you.

    Sorry, I don't have the German version. It wouldn't do me any good if I did I have enough trouble with English.

    Apparently Kant wrote is such a complicated style that German students preferred the English translation. They claimed it was easier to follow his arguments. Being the genius he was this doesn't surprise me.

    Regards

    Tut
  • Dec 21, 2010, 02:42 PM
    Alty

    Not surprising. There are so many different dialects in German that even Germans have trouble understanding all of them. I have an Uncle whose own sons can't understand a word he says, even though they're both speaking German.

    I was once stuck in a car with him for 3 hours. I ended up just nodding to everything he said because I couldn't understand a word (I speak fluent German). I found out that my nodding was a bad idea when he pulled over to the side of the road and motioned for me to get in the drivers seat of his Porsche. Apparently he had asked me if I wanted to drive, and I agreed.

    Pretty scary experience for a 16 year old from Canada. :eek:

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